E271: Sara Brueske - What Does it Take to do Mondio OB?

Sara and I talk about training for Mondio Obedience - including who can compete and how varied the trials can be! 

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  2569 Hits
2569 Hits

E270: Dresden Graff - Training for the Sensitive Soul

National Agility Competitor Dresden Graff joins me to talk about his training journey and share some tips for training the see-saw when you have a more sensitive dog. 

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  3328 Hits
3328 Hits

Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes: A discussion with Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD (2nd Author)

If you've seen the buzz over the recent study, "Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes," join Dr. Jessica Hekman, 2nd author on the paper, for a discussion on the topic.

What does it say? What does it not say? Let's get the facts!

Jessica will share her knowledge and help you understand this fascinating topic during this FREE Q&A discussion. 
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  3522 Hits
3522 Hits

E269: Amy Cook, PhD - "A Deeper Look at The Play Way"

Ever wondered how The Play Way differs from other methods for treating reactivity? Amy and I talk about how she developed the ideas from her work on her PhD in Psychology.

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  4744 Hits
4744 Hits

Is a Tired Dog Really a Good Dog?

We've all heard it, the advice that says "run him out, a tired dog is a good dog". Well, if the dog is actually asleep then yes, he is a good dog – sleep being incompatible with hyper, pain-in-the-bum type behaviours. However, usually it doesn't work like that.
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  8041 Hits
8041 Hits

E268: Sharon Carroll - "When Competition Performance Falls Apart"

Common advice is that a green dog just needs more ring experience but... is that really true? What's going on when a dog gets gradually worse the more they compete? Sharon and I talk about breaking that down and more!

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  3679 Hits
3679 Hits

Failure is my Friend: Redefining the meaning of Failure

Failure is a word that has a bad bad bad rap. I mean the poor word really did get the short end of the stick. People just have it all wrong. They see failure as something bad. Failure means you're not good enough, you didn't try hard enough, people look down at you, you're a loser. 

Failure evokes a host of negative feelings… depression, unworthiness, fear, anxiety, shame, disappointment, being less than, not measuring up, thinking that everyone else has achieved while I have not… I have "failed". We obsess about how it makes us look in other people's eyes. We define our self-worth by external accomplishments and when we don't achieve them, once again we have failed. 

The truth of the matter is everybody's got it all wrong.

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  4861 Hits
4861 Hits

E267: Ashley Escobar - Talking Canine Fitness & Cavalettis

Ashley and I talk about what led her to become interested in fitness and she shares why cavalettis are such a powerful tool for canine fitness. 

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  2144 Hits
2144 Hits

E266: Stacy Barnett - Advancing in Nosework

What skills do you need as you build from the basis to more advanced levels in nosework? Stacy and I talk about breaking that down and more — PLUS we share an exciting new announcement from FDSA! 

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  2736 Hits
2736 Hits

E265: Dr. Chris Zink - Evaluating Puppy Structure

Your dog's structure factors largely into how long they can compete in dog sports — this week Dr. Chris Zink and I talk about how to judge structure in a puppy when choosing your next sports partner! 

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  3388 Hits
3388 Hits

Dog Sports For Fun: Why Sports Training is Worth it – Even if You Never Compete

"But I don't want to compete!!!" 

I hear it all the time. People take their dog to training classes or see a private trainer to fix problems and get the basics. And then they stop. Just like that. The problem is fixed. The dog civilised. Why do more? 

Well, there are some VERY good reasons to continue training after 'the basics' have been installed. Let's look at some...

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  3620 Hits
3620 Hits

E264 - Petra Ford - "Thriving Under Pressure"

Walking into the competition ring comes with pressure! Petra and I talk about how to create a positively conditioned emotional response to pressure... and how to prep for Utility with your obedience dog!  

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  2869 Hits
2869 Hits

Boring Fronts? Use These Games to Mix it Up!

Fronts are one of those behaviors that just need practice. There's no way around it. However, practicing fronts doesn't have to be boring! I play all sorts of front games with my dogs to keep fronts fresh and fun!

You can play these games with or without props, depending on what stage your dog is at. Play with several different props to increase generalization skills. Pick and choose which ones you like, or play them all, just have fun!

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  3917 Hits
3917 Hits

E263: Denise Fenzi, Heather Lawson, Alycia Rogal, and Nicole Wiebusch - "Year 6 of TEAM + A New Program..."

This year is the 6th anniversary of the founding of the Fenzi TEAM titles program — and we take a look at how it's grown and reveal a new, up-and-coming addition! 

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  1972 Hits
1972 Hits

How to Train Two Dogs Simultaneously

Do you have a new dog or puppy? Are you struggling to find opportunities to train with them because your older dog kicks up stink? When a second dog is added to a household, things can change in unexpected ways. One of those is that training stops. 

Why is that? 

Usually it is because the first dog objects strongly to being 'left out' while the new addition receives attention and play/food.

This is both difficult to deal with and causes us to feel guilty. Training is no longer fun and rewarding for us so we stop doing it. Rest assured, the guilt thing is totally normal. If you've not had two dogs before it can be a bit of a shock and the dynamics certainly get turned upside down.

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  3588 Hits
3588 Hits

E262: Simone Mueller - "Predation in Dogs"

Often referred to as dogs that "chase," predation in dogs can be frustrating — Simone and I talk about what's really going on and what you can do about it. 

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  4293 Hits
4293 Hits

Isolate that marker cue!

Clear communication and clarity are really important in dog training. The more clear we can be with our dogs, the faster they can learn what we want. One area that can sometimes get a little messy is marking behaviors. Most trainers understand that the correct behavior should get some kind of marker, like a click or a verbal marker such as "yes". But often, novice (and sometimes advanced, too!) trainers will mark and move all at the same time. However, it's very important that we isolate that marker cue!

While doing a chicken camp with Terry Ryan, she would always say "click THEN treat." What trainers often are told is "click and treat" or "mark and treat", but if you specify "mark THEN treat", it makes sense to put a pause in there.

So why is this important? Does it really matter?

Well, yes, it does.

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  3042 Hits
3042 Hits

E161: Julie Symons - "The Multi-Sport Dog"

Julie Symons joins me to talk about nosework, obedience, and the pros and cons of training for multiple sports!

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  2026 Hits
2026 Hits

The Lemonade Conference 2022 Lunch Panel: It’s All In How They’re Raised… (Or Is It?) (Sat, Feb 12)

Host Melissa Breau with panelists Jessica Hekman, PhD, DVM; Kim Brophey; and Sharon Carroll to talked about "It's All In How They're Raised (Or Is It?)" during our lunch break for the Lemonade Conference on February 12th, 2022 — and we've shared it here for those who missed it live!

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  2717 Hits
2717 Hits

E260: Karen Deeds - "Reactive Integration: Talking about our options for reactive dogs"

There are a ton of different methods out there for working with reactive dogs — how do you decide what to use when and with which dog? Karen and I talk about in this week's podcast. 

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  6831 Hits
6831 Hits

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